


Ocean Man

by Kayluh1915



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-05-20 13:25:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19377625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayluh1915/pseuds/Kayluh1915
Summary: Rhett McLaughlin was having the summer of his dreams, singing in sold-out arenas across the United States nearly every single day; but his dream quickly turned into nothing short of a nightmare when he was sentenced to court-ordered community service in Honolulu, Hawaii and forced to cancel the rest of his summer tour. After that, he thought that the rest of his summer would be dreadful, but he is proven wrong when he meets the handsome lifeguard from tower one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Ocean Man, guys! I've been working on this fanfic for over three years and I REALLY hope you enjoy it. I'm so excited to finally share this with all of you and as always, comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is encouraged and appreciated.
> 
> Also, a HUGE thanks to [@its-mike-kapufty](https://its-mike-kapufty.tumblr.com/) for being my beta for this fic. It honestly wouldn't be where it is without them and I'm forever grateful. Give them all the love you can possibly give!
> 
> You can also follow me on Tumblr [@Rhink4days](https://rhink4days.tumblr.com/) if you would like! I make gifs, edits, and (obviously) write when I get the chance! Or you could check out the music I listened to while writing this [On Spotify.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17fDqcmVHDCBQY6scycsfI?si=l1Ge41uiQfyo85v4pPFJYA)
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

Blinding lights, suffocating stage smoke, and deafening screams. The sounds of a perfect night to lead vocalist, Rhett McLaughlin. 

When describing the sensations verbally, they aren’t very appealing—but to the 41-year-old singer, they were everything he had ever wanted out of a summer. He had always dreamed of performing in front of an audience as big as this one. 

Even at the tender age of five, he had always sung along with his favorite songs and TV shows using his mom’s hairbrush as a mic. However, when he had been in his 20’s, he’d decided to give up his dream to pursue a career in engineering once he had seen that the rock star life wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it seemed, complete with failed gigs and hot pockets for dinner every night. He had received his degree and worked as an engineer for 12 years, occasionally getting together with his old bandmates to post YouTube videos of their music. He wasn’t sure whose idea it had been, but he was thankful to them because it led Rhett to finally being able to quit his job and make a living doing what he loved the most.

"Goodnight Honolulu! We love you!" Rhett exclaimed to the roaring crowd, exiting the stage quickly with the rest of his band as a woman handed him a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off and downed it within four gulps. A new personal record. He recycled the empty plastic bottle and quickly went into his dressing room, grabbing the things he needed to take a quick shower while he undressed.

He slid on his shower shoes and bathrobe as he jogged out of his dressing room and down the hall. The rest of his bandmates had already beaten him to the showers. Thankfully, there was one more stall available. He just hoped that the plumbing didn’t suck. Rhett squinted and slowly walked over to it, not being able to see very much due to the mist of hot water emitting from his friends’ showers. 

Once he had found his way into the empty stall, he stripped down, hung his robe on a hook outside, and turned on the water, wasting no time washing his hair and body. Rhett and his friends were on their first ever summer tour and their schedule had been nothing short of hectic. They were in a new city every other day to perform, and they had to be quick in order to stay on schedule. For Rhett and his friends, this meant brisk showers, meals, and even naps. 

As unappealing as that sounded, Rhett loved it. He loved falling asleep in one city and waking up in another. It was surreal to him, but he wished that there was more time in his schedule to explore the amazing places he got to visit. This stop was no exception; they'd been in Hawaii for almost a week now, and he'd only been to the beach once.

"Alright, you guys better wash quick! I want to be in Kahuku by tomorrow evening!" the drummer of the band, Ronnie, exclaimed from one of the showers. 

Even though they were one of the most popular rock groups on YouTube, they ran their own show. They didn’t have agents telling them where to go or what to do, even though the record label that had signed them on had highly advised them to get one. It was a lot harder and stressful to manage their own group, but that was how Rhett and his friends liked it. Ronnie had never officially been made the leader, but everyone listened to him and trusted his judgment the most. It was kind of like their unspoken rule. 

Rhett was the last one out of the shower, finishing in under twenty minutes. He then quickly went back to his dressing room, putting on some pajama bottoms, an old t-shirt, and some comfortable flip flops just to wear out to the bus. He had plans of going to bed as soon as he boarded the bus and didn't really care at the moment if any fans saw him in his comfortable wear, snapped a photo, and plastered it all over the internet. After packing all of his stuff back into his duffel bag, he double checked to make sure he had everything and then ran out of the building and straight to their tour bus. As usual, everyone else had already beaten him there, and were waiting on him so they could leave.

"Took you long enough, Chills," one of the guitar players named Justin laughed. 

Rhett normally would’ve given him a snarky comeback, but he needed to rest his vocal cords after a long night of singing. He instead threw up his middle finger, which made Justin laugh. Rhett sat his duffel bag down by his bed and kicked his flip flops off before plopping down. He let out a relaxed breath and snuggled up to his pillow, taking in the much-needed time of relaxation. 

"Hey, Ron! Do you think we have time to stop at a bar tonight? I could really use a drink," the other guitar player, Adam, asked.

"No. We can go to one tomorrow night. We need to be on the other side of the island in two days and I'd like to be there by tomorrow evening so we have time to go to the beach again." 

Rhett sighed a small breath of appreciation. A lot of people thought that he was a stereotypical rocker that liked to drink hard liquor and fuck a different woman after every single concert, but that was far from the truth. He was actually a pretty chill guy who preferred to sit in and quietly read a book or watch TV after a show. He didn’t really like the bar and party scene too much, and would have chosen a healthy relationship over one night stands. He couldn’t say the same for some of his friends, though.

"Well, can we at least stop at McDonald's and eat? I'm starving!" Justin asked, pulling a bottle of Mountain Dew out of their fridge. Ronnie groaned and pulled out his planner he kept next to his bed. After flipping through a few pages, he closed it and threw the book overflowing with sticky notes back onto his bed.

"I guess we could, but does everyone want McDonald's?" The whole bus agreed except for Rhett, still trying to rest his voice. "What about you, Chills? You good with chicken nuggets?" Ronnie asked. Rhett held out his thumb in approval. He was never too tired for some McNuggets. "Alright, McDonalds it is. But we're getting it to go!" 

Rhett's bandmates cheered as Joe the bass player started up the bus and pulled out of the arena parking lot. 

On the way to the grease-infested restaurant, Rhett closed his eyes and fell asleep for just a few moments. Being on tour over the past month had taught him a lot of things about himself, and one of those things was that he fell asleep very easily during these long road trips. There was just something about being on that bus that made him feel so relaxed. He couldn't really put his finger on what it was—be it the quiet hum of the large motor or the sound of his bandmates chatting. All he knew was that riding on this bus was one of the best sleep aids ever, and he loved it even if he was almost too tall to fit into the small cot. 

About 10 minutes into his blissful nap, he was rudely awoken by a loud horn and the bus braking hard, almost throwing Rhett to the floor. Not even a second later, he felt the bus lightly jar. When  it came to a full stop, Ronnie got up and looked around.

"Is everybody alright?" he called. Everyone responded with "yeah" and "yes" while Rhett just held up his thumb again. Curious, he got up from bed and walked out into the living area, looking through the window to see a light grey car with its right door damaged. It was nothing serious. Looked like a small fender bender.

"What the hell was that?" the backup vocalist named Jordan asked, emerging from his own bed by the bathroom. He usually headed straight to bed after a show and never really said anything until the next morning, but the impact must've woken him up.

"Some idiot just side swiped us," Ronnie said to him. "You alright?" Jordan only nodded. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the side of the bus followed by an abrasive voice shouting at Joe.

"WHAT THE HELL? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!?" 

Rhett might’ve been what his friends called a gentle giant, but that didn’t mean that _they_ were. Joe was especially known to have a short fuse when it came to driving, and it didn't take long for it to show, either. Joe opened the bus door and instantly started yelling back at the angry driver and his passenger.

"ME? YOU WERE THE ONE TEXTING ON YOUR GODDAMN CELL PHONE!”

"LET’S SEE YOU LIE TO THE COPS LIKE THAT, MAN WHORE!" 

Ronnie cleared his throat. "Joe. Just shut the door and wait for the police. Don't do anything stupid," he said calmly. 

Joe seemed like he was going to listen, until the man replied again. "Go on, Joe. Listen to daddy,” he berated him further. Rhett could see the steam pouring out of his ears.

"Joe, It's not worth it! Please don't!" Ronnie said, trying to calm him down again, but Joe's blood was already at its boiling point and there wasn't really much anyone could do to stop him. 

When the angry driver and his passenger stepped onto the bus and started pushing Joe and yelling at him to fight them, shit hit the fan. Despite all of the protests from his band mates, Joe swung his fist and hit the angry driver right in the nose. The two men then ganged up on him, nearly beating him to a pulp due to the size difference. 

Ronnie instantly jumped in and tried to break up the fight, but he somehow wound up in the brawl as well. The same applied to Justin and Adam. Rhett and Jordan stood in shock, not really knowing what to do as the strangers and their bandmates beat the living crap out of each other. Once Rhett saw Justin get hit in the jaw and collapse to the floor, he and Jordan both decided that the fight had gotten way out of hand, and tried to pry their bandmates apart from the two enraged pedestrians. But they stopped and fell to their knees in fear when a gunshot rang through their ears. 

Rhett's heart jumped out of his chest. He thought that maybe one of the idiots had pulled out a firearm, but was relieved to find that it was just a police officer trying to regain order over the unnecessary brawl happening in the McDonald's parking lot. Once the fight had stopped, more officers stormed the bus and started handcuffing everyone... even Rhett and Jordan, who hadn't thrown a punch.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!? I wasn't part of that!" Rhett exclaimed to the cop, forgetting about resting his voice as she put him in cuffs and recited the usual things that police officers say to people when they were being arrested. "I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed again, struggling in his cuffs. 

He kept trying to tell the police woman that he wasn't part of the fight, but soon Rhett just shut up and let her take him away. He was afraid that he would be charged with resisting arrest or something else he didn't know was illegal. He was in an unfamiliar state, after all. He was placed into the back of a cruiser with Ronnie and Joe, feeling like the worst criminal in the world even though he’d done absolutely nothing.

"Goddamnit, Joe! You could've just shut the bus door like I told you to and none of this would've never happened, but NO! You had to punch that guy, didn't you? Joe just couldn't wait to get his hands on the rude driver!" 

Joe didn't respond to Ronnie. The ride to the station was very quiet and did a great job of filling Rhett with anxiety about what was to come. Ronnie and Joe had both been arrested in the past, but Rhett had never stepped foot in a detention facility. He had no idea what to expect and that was Rhett’s biggest fear: the unknown.


	2. Chapter 2

When Rhett was escorted into the Honolulu Federal Detention Center, he expected the worst. He had seen all of those jail tv shows late at night while snacking on the couch and he was preparing himself for borderline torment and assault. He did face torment, but not at all in the way he’d been expecting. 

 

He and his friends were locked in a jail cell overnight until their record label representative could come and help. In the meantime, Adam and Justin swore on their future graves that they couldn’t hold it and stunk up the entire cell. Not once, but twice. While Ronnie and Jordan whined and complained, Rhett just sat there with his nose buried under his shirt. He was never one to complain, even if his friends were disgusting. After about five hours of awkward silence and foul smells, their representative, Susan, finally arrived in Honolulu to bail them out. Jordan ran up to her, overreacting just a bit.

“Susan, thank God” he exclaimed, hugging her as tightly as he could. “I almost died in there!” Susan and Ronnie shared a glance before shaking their heads at Jordan’s antics. Rhett remained quiet even after Susan had asked if he was alright. He only nodded and pointed to his throat to indicate that he was resting his voice. It was a lie, but he didn’t really feel like speaking after what had happened.

Before Rhett and his friends were clear to leave, they had to schedule a court date for their sentencing. He and the others had been charged with petty misdemeanors—the least offense you could be charged for in Hawaii. All except Joe, of course, who was charged for a regular misdemeanor which was a bit more serious and would most likely receive different sentencing than the rest of his bandmates. After their court dates were scheduled for two months later, they were given their bus back complete with a brand new scratch of grey paint, and dashed off to the next city as quickly as they could. Thanks to Joe, they didn’t get a chance to go back to the beach.

Two months later, Rhett and his friends returned to Honolulu for their court dates. They sat in the hot waiting area for a couple of hours, having the best lawyers from their record label on their side even if it wasn't necessary for such small offenses. Despite this, however, the judge had found all band members to be guilty of their charges, sentencing Joe to four months behind bars and the rest of them to 500 hours of community service. 

Rhett was relieved that he didn't have to spend time behind bars, but he was also furious. He and Jordan hadn't even thrown a punch, but were being punished anyway. His anger was also tinged with fear. What about the last month of their summer tour? There were hundreds of thousands of people who had paid good money to see them perform, and it was scaring Rhett to think that he might not be able to give them the show they deserved. They all quickly flew back to LA as soon as they could to discuss what the heck they were going to do with the rest of their tour, now that they had a legal sentence on their shoulders.

"What the hell are we going to do, Ron?" Adam asked. 

Ronnie flipped through some pages from within his planner and let out a distressed sigh. "I don't know, but if we can't think of anything, we’ll have to cancel the rest of the tou-"

"Oh, hell no!" Justin exclaimed. "Imagine how the fans will react to us canceling! Not mention the flack we’ll get when they figure out it was because of legal troubles."

"What other choice do we have?" Ronnie asked firmly. "How can we play a show in Baltimore if we have to be in Honolulu for five weeks to pick trash up off of the beach? Where are we going to find another bass player to replace Joe while he's in the slammer?" Everyone was silent at Ron's questions, hoping that someone would speak up with a suggestion.

"We only have to pick up trash two days a week. Can't we just fly to Honolulu for two days and then fly back?" Jordan suggested.

"The cost of the plane tickets would add up quickly and it would overshoot our air travel budget by thousands of dollars. If we stay at a hotel in Honolulu, that will be paid for by the company because it's for a legal matter."

"Well, isn't getting here part of the legal matter?” Joe asked.

"Yeah, but for some reason, it doesn't cover flights." Everyone went silent again. "Anybody else have any ideas?" Nothing was heard except for the occasional squeak from the large office chairs and the sound of someone clearing their throat lightly. “How about you, Chills? You got any ideas?” 

Rhett shook his head, not looking up from the gaze he held on the table as Ronnie clicked his pen on the polished wood. This lingered for a solid three minutes while everyone sat silent, trying their best to think of a solution to this problem, but it was hopeless. Everyone knew what they had to do, but no one had the courage to say it.

A few days later, they were all on a crowded coach flight back to Honolulu, Hawaii. They all agreed that it was best to cancel the rest of their Summer tour and stay in Honolulu until they had all completed their sentences. They felt like total shit for canceling their tour on so many excited fans. Especially Rhett. He had tweeted out apologies to his fans nearly five times in just one day, along with the release of their cancellation video they put out—but his conscience wasn't getting any clearer even with the mostly-positive responses. 

When they landed, Rhett tried to get his mind off of things by surfing for a bit after they’d checked into the hotel, but he couldn't focus on the waves and found himself wiping out more than usual. After a countless amount of failed attempts, he soon decided to give up and went back to his hotel room, showering and changing into bedclothes. He wasn't really that tired, but with such a burdened mind, he didn't know what else he could do. He soon dozed off, feeling the nice sea breeze tumble into his room from his open bay window. 

He woke about an hour later and he went downstairs to the lobby to buy himself a soda from the vending machine. While putting the change into the coin slot, a newspaper article caught his eye from the nearby newsstand.

**"YouTube Stars Cancel Final Summer Tour Shows. Legal Action Involved."**

Rhett sighed and ran his hand through his unstyled blonde curls. He knew that bad press was going to come, but he didn't think it would be this soon. He felt like punching the newsstand, but refrained, gripping his curls even tighter. His summer had gone from a dream come true to a full-fledged nightmare in just under a week… and it wasn't going to end for another four months.


	3. Chapter 3

Never in a million years did Rhett think he'd ever complain about being on a white Hawaiian beach, but here he is. Sweating buckets, wearing a bright orange vest, and picking up everything from empty soda cans to beer bottles to used condoms.

"Ahh..." He quickly put the nasty rubber contraceptive into the trash bag he had next to him. With each passing minute the sun got hotter, his back achier, and the trash he found just kept getting viler, which didn't really help his temper. It was only his first day of community service and he already hated it along with everything else that had led to this very moment. He hated himself for quitting his engineering job, Joe for starting that fight, the cop who had arrested him that night, the sun and how hot it was, and people in general for even daring to have sex on a public beach.

"This is so fucking ridiculous! We should be in Long Beach right now performing a show in an air-conditioned building with our fans, but no! I'm stuck here in stupid Honolulu with a bunch of idiots that fuck in public and leave what's left lying around for everyone to see!" 

Justin heard Rhett's small outburst and laughed. "You're just jealous that you don't have anyone to have public sex with." Rhett gave a seething glare, causing Justin to laugh harder. "Relax, dude. We only have a couple more hours of this shit and we're done until Friday. I know it's going to be late, but we can go night surfing if you want." 

At the mention of surfing, Rhett's shoulders visibly relaxed. He was still angry, but the promise did make him feel a little better. "Surfing actually sounds pretty great right now," he replied, his tone now carrying only a hint of rage.

“There’s the gentle giant I know!” Justin exclaimed, smacking Rhett on the shoulder. “Now you have something to motivate you." 

With that, Rhett let out a heavy sigh and started to pick up trash again. He was still complaining, but not nearly as much as he had been at first. He was trying to listen to his friend and keep his mind on surfing. It definitely helped keep him calm. There was no way he could stay mad with the promise of cool waves on his skin.

Rhett's thoughts of the refreshing ocean were halted by the startling sound of a shrieking metal whistle. He spun around with wide eyes, hands instinctively covering his ears. Before he could even process what was going on, a lifeguard shed a grey t-shirt and ran for the tropical waters. After he was knee-deep, he dove under and blatantly came back up, swimming to a certain point and ducking beneath the surface once again. The whole west side of the beach was now nervously watching along with Adam and Justin, pointing and whispering concerns between one another about both the man and the person he was trying to save.

"Did’ja see that?" Rhett whispered to Justin.

"Yeah. I've never seen a lifeguard in action before. I hope he saves them." 

After an agonizing minute, the man came back up from the depths, but his hands were empty. He hadn't found them. He sucked in another breath and dove again, this time staying under for a minute and a half before resurfacing. The man repeated this one last time before finally resurfacing with a body draped over his shoulder. The whole beach was on the edge of their seats as the man ran onto the shore and gently laid the young boy down onto the sand. He placed his ear to his chest and laid there for a second before raising up and beginning chest compressions.

By now, the boy's mother had identified her son and was hysterical, exclaiming the boy's name over and over again while being restrained by another lifeguard so the man could work to bring him back. The beach was silent as CPR was performed on the victim, some hoping and some praying for the boy to be revived. After what felt like an eternity, the boy still had not shown any signs of life, and the lifeguard was starting to falter. The mother was still in hysterics and was screaming at him to save her boy, but the man looked like he was about to give up. Then, by whatever miracle or coincidence, the boy started coughing.

"There ya’ go! Cough it up, buddy!" He heard the man say, turning over the child so he could properly get all of the water out of his lungs. Rhett let out a long breath of relief along with the rest of the beach and cheered for the lifeguard that had saved the boy's life. The mother ran over to her son and picked him up, holding onto him tightly while frantically thanking the man for saving him. 

As the adrenaline of the moment steadily wore off, the beach began to return to normal as everyone resumed their previous activities. Well, except for Rhett.

He wasn’t sure what possessed him to stay, but there he was with his eyes on the lifeguard that had just saved the day. He was only wearing a pair of bright red shorts, his salt and peppered hair still dripping wet and his legs covered in sand up to the knees. Rhett then began to notice how sun-kissed his skin was and how his body was well-defined. He looked… handsome. Rhett felt himself smile a bit as he saw the mother thank the man again before leaving with her son close by. 

Once she was gone, the man ran his hand through his hair and let out a very obvious sigh. Another lifeguard wearing a white t-shirt, the same shorts, and a pair of flip-flops handed the man his own shirt and a pair of black and brown frames while patting him on the back. He said something to the hero that Rhett couldn't make out from his distance as he tugged the shirt back over his body and walked back to the guard's tower with the other lifeguard.

"Rhett! Get back to work, dude!" Justin called, snapping Rhett from his involuntary trance. He looked over to Justin and then back to the tower to get one last look at the lifeguard, but he and the other had already disappeared into the tower. Rhett lightly huffed a disappointed sigh, but soon got over it and continued working in the exhausting heat.

Two hours later, Rhett and his bandmates were finishing up for the day and the sun was starting to set in the distance, giving the beach a warm and gentle dusk glow. Rhett searched the beach one last time for any remaining trash or used contraceptives that he may have missed, but was distracted when he saw the lifeguard from earlier walk out of the guards’ tower. He was now wearing a bright red sun visor and a windbreaker that matched his shorts. His hair was fully dried and styled with a pair of rugged flip-flops on his feet. Rhett watched him closely as he climbed down from the tower and unlocked a black bike from one of the tower's support beams. He hopped on and lifted up the kickstand. He was about to pedal off, but someone came out of the tower and stopped him. The other guy looked down to the man on the ground and spoke to him, but Rhett could only make out one sentence from the minute-long conversation over the sound of the crashing waves:

"Have a good night."

The man on the bike nodded and waved at the other guy, peddling off of the beach and out of Rhett's sight.

"Hey, Chills!" Justin exclaimed, getting Rhett's attention. "Come turn in your vest and stuff to the officer, man! We still gotta get our boards back at the hotel!"

"Comin’!" Rhett called back, taking one last look towards the lifeguards’ tower and walking off of the beach with a smile on his face, temporarily forgetting about all of the condoms, heat, and his newly-found sunburn.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, Rhett and Justin were the only ones on the beach, the moon their only light source as they carved through the crisp waves. Rhett's skills weren't very transparent, as he found himself wiping out again and again until he finally had enough.

"Forget it.” He grumbled. “You go, I'm done tryin’," Rhett said, paddling into the shallows next to Justin and lying on his board stomach-first, anger broiling in his veins.

“What’s gotten into you, man? You normally tear through these bad boys like it’s nothing.” Rhett rose back up from his board.

“Gee, I dunno. Maybe it’s because I’m being punished for a crime that I didn’t even commit. Jordan and I didn’t even swing and yet here we are stuck on this stupid island with disappointed fans and now I can’t even fuckin’ surf!” Rhett smacked the water with his hand, bringing about silence between them that lasted longer than he would have liked. "I wish Joe would've just closed the damn door. None of this would've ever happened, and Jordan and I wouldn’t be punished for doing absolutely nothing." 

Justin paddled closer to Rhett and comfortingly rubbed his back. Rhett furrowed his eyebrows. He’d known Justin since they were freshmen in high school. He was a nice guy, and very caring at times, but tended to not show emotions and came off as an arrogant asshole to most people, which is why Rhett found it weird that he was comforting him. He didn't complain, though. A lot had changed in the past week and he could use a comforting hand.

"I know this isn't what you deserve, Chills, but look around. You're in Honolulu. I know that picking up trash two times a week sucks, but it could be worse. You could be in the slammer with Joe surrounded by a bunch of criminals that may or may not kick your ass. Instead, you're here where you can look at nice women in bikinis." Rhett rolled his eyes. _There_ was the Justin that he knew and loved.

"Really..?”

"What? I love my ladies." 

Rhett paddled away from Justin. "I should've known you weren't going to take me seriously..."

 "Don't be jealous, Rhett. There are some people here for you, too. Like that lifeguard you were drooling over earlier today."

"I wasn’t drooling! I was just happy to see that he saved that boy," he snapped defensively. Justin snorted a small laugh.

"Relax, dude. I was Joking." 

Rhett looked back down to his board.

"Just... try not to dwell on what happened. I know that the tour was your dream and that you and Jordan are totally innocent, but sometimes things get in the way of what we want and we have no control over it. I personally don't really mind being stuck in Honolulu with hot babes. I actually see it as a positiv-"

"Get to the point," Rhett interrupted.

"The point is that even though this isn't what you wanted nor is it what you deserve, just try to make the best out of it. You never know what you might find." And with that, Justin laid on his board and paddled away to catch an upcoming wave, leaving Rhett alone to recollect his thoughts.

A few days later, Rhett decided to take Justin’s advice and have a day out in Honolulu with just the two of them. He was sick of sulking around his hotel room and planned their entire day off to the brim with things he wanted to do, and was actually excited when he woke up that morning. A passing thought of him being there against his will tracked by, yet he paid it no mind. He didn’t want anything to ruin his perfect day, but he was in for a rude awakening when they hit their first stop on his list. 

According to the locals, there was this mom and pop grill that apparently had the best breakfast on the entire island of Oahu. He and Justin were the first ones at the door when the place was supposed to open, but the owner came by and put sign up saying that the restaurant would be closed due to illness. Much to his distaste, they ended up eating breakfast at a nearby IHOP instead. 

They were supposed to hike next, but when they arrived, the trails were closed due to a mudslide that had occurred the previous night. It was now the middle of the day and most of the activities he’d planned had ended up in a similar way, except for the frozen yogurt place they were currently at.

“Dude, you’ve barely touched your yogurt.” Rhett jumped at Justin’s concern, snapping him out of his mind.

“I’m honestly not in the mood for frozen yogurt right now.” 

Justin threw his spoon down into his bowl and scoffed. “Seriously... you’re really gonna let a few ruined plans destroy our afternoon? We’re supposed to be making the best of this shit, remember?”

“Hard to do when everything you planned is either closed or turning you away at the door.” 

Justin extended his arm towards the shore behind him. “The beach isn’t closed. Isn’t that where we’re going next?” 

Rhett cringed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, I was planning on just going back to the hotel… sorry, man.”

“Nope.” Rhett stopped and looked over to his friend with wide eyes.

“E-Excuse me?”

“I said no. You and I are going to the beach and we’re going to have a blast. I’m not letting you sulk in that hotel room any longer.” 

Rhett couldn’t believe it. He had been reduced to a child taking commands from their father, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, though, as Justin threw away their yogurt and nearly dragged him back to the hotel to get their things together for a beach day.

When they arrived on the white sandy shore, Rhett reluctantly laid down his towel and set up his shade umbrella. He wanted nothing more than a nap at the moment, but Justin was already dragging him towards the water.

“Let’s go, man! The waves look great right now!” 

Rhett pushed Justin’s hand off of his shoulder. “Here in a minute, let me just put on my sunscreen.” 

Justin rolled his eyes and groaned. “You and your skin health.” He looked back to the waves with wonder, deciding that he couldn’t wait any longer. “Look, whatever, dude. Just meet me out there.” 

With that, Justin took off with his surfboard. Rhett shook his head at his eager friend and grabbed the canister of sunscreen out of his bag. He shook the can and sprayed it liberally onto his arms, shoulders, and chest. He had closed his eyes only for a moment to spray his face when he heard a sudden clack of metal followed by a hiss of pain. He spun around quickly and what he saw nearly made his heart stop: the lifeguard that had rescued the little boy a few days ago was laying in the sand holding his knee as his bike laid handlebars-first in the sand.

“Ahh… Freakin’... pōhaku!” 

Before Rhett could even think about what he was doing, he ran over to the crashed hero.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asked, his voice shakier than he had expected it to be. The lifeguard looked up at him, brushing the sand off of his scraped knee.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Mahalo.” 

Rhett furrowed his eyebrows. The man noticed and chuckled a bit.

“What? You don’t speak Hawaiian?” Rhett shook his head, every word of the English language suddenly leaving his mind. The guy only shook his head. “I said thanks. I’m fine, really.”

“Are you sure? That’s a pretty nasty scrape.” Rhett gestured down to his gashed knee.

“What this? It’s nothing. I’ve been stung by a jellyfish before. That hurt so bad that something as simple as a scratch hardly phases me now.”

“Alright then, tough guy,” Rhett answered, immediately wanting to punch himself in the face for the sudden nickname.

“I prefer Link, thank you,” the man answered, picking up his bike from the sand and kicking the rock that had caused him to wreck into the weeds.

“Link, sorry. You can call me Rhett.” 

Link looked up to him and smiled. “Well, Rhett. Thank you for your concern, but I have to-” 

“Rhett!” Justin interrupted, running up to him almost out of breath. “You were supposed to meet me out there, dude! You should’ve seen this last wave I just caught. Let’s go! You’re gonna miss em’ all!” 

Link’s eyes perked up behind his brown and black frames.

“Oh, you surf?” he asked, looking to the board next to the umbrella. Rhett stumbled over his words, but Justin wrapped his arm around Rhett and spoke for him.

“Can he surf? Are you kidding? He’s the surfing king. He out-surfs us all and probably can ride these waves better than anyone out here.” Rhett kicked Justin’s leg, but Justin ignored him. The smirk that came across Link’s face sent chills down Rhett’s spine.

“Is that so? Well then, I’ve got to see this for myself, but I have to go to work right now. How about later this evening? Say around… seven?” 

Justin gave a thumbs up. “That’ll work.” 

Link nodded, hopping back on his bike.

“See you tonight then, surfing king,” he called in a teasing tone as he pedaled away. Rhett looked over at Justin with a fuming glare.

 “What?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Rhett! Dude, come back!” Justin called as Rhett stormed off the beach. “I was just trying to help you!” Rhett stopped in his tracks and spun around to face his friend.

“ _Help me_? In what way? You called me the fucking “Surfing King” when I haven’t successfully ridden a wave since we’ve been trapped in this hell-hole! Not to mention that I don’t even know who the heck this guy is!”

“Well, this could be your chance to find out and impress him! You were totally fawning over him, so I figured I’d just give you a push.”

“I don’t _want_ to impress him. And I wasn’t fawning over him! He wrecked his bike and I was just making sure he didn’t get hurt. Just because I talk to a handsome guy doesn’t mean that I’m fawning over them!” 

Justin gasped. “I knew it!”

“What?”

“You just called him ‘handsome’!” 

Rhett’s sunburned face only got redder as steam began to pour from his ears. Justin hadn’t listened to one fucking word he’d said.

“You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you and fuck your little surfin’ plans, ‘cause I ain’t goin’.” With that, Rhett made his way back to the hotel, leaving Justin standing there alone with his mouth agape.

When he got back to the hotel, Adam was listening to some of their old music. As Rhett walked by, he paused the song and came out of his room.

“Hey, have you seen Jordan? He has my headphones and I need them back.” Rhett only shrugged as he fiddled around in his pocket for a keycard. Adam took notice of Rhett’s demeanor. “He gotcha’ peeved again?” 

Rhett grumbled as he opened the door to his room. “I don’t want to talk about it, Adam.”

“Talking could help, you know?”

“Not if you run back and tell Justin every word I said like you normally do.” 

Adam blinked, reduced to silence for a moment. “Damn. What the hell did he do to you?” 

Rhett sighed and closed his door back, leaning against the frame. “There’s this lifeguard that works on Waikiki beach-”

“Oh, Mr. Hero?” 

Rhett groaned. _Of course_ , Justin had told him, and even gave him a nickname to boot.

“His name’s Link. Anyway-”

“Whoa! _You_ already got his name!? That’s amazing.”

 _“Can you just focus here?”_ Rhett growled, having enough of his friend’s shit. Adam paused, nodding his head.

“Go ahead man, I’m sorry.” 

Rhett let out a deep breath to calm himself down.

“ _Anyway..._ I was getting ready to surf with Justin when he wrecked his bike on a rock and scraped his knee near our setup. I wanted to make sure he was fine. Right before he pedaled off, Justin ran up and called me ‘The Surfing King’, and now Link wants to see me surf tonight at seven, but I’m not going.” 

Adam threw his hands up. “What? Why?”

“Because fuck Justin. I haven’t ridden a wave since we got here and now I’m somehow supposed to magically surf like I usually do? Hell no. I’m going to end up embarrassing myself with this half-assed shit I’ve been doing recently. Fuck him.” Rhett opened his hotel door again, going inside with his things this time. Adam followed him in before the door shut.

“Rhett, my dude, you’re so transparent.” 

Rhett propped up his board against the wall. “What do you mean?”

“It’s so obvious that you’re only mad at Justin because you’re afraid that Luke’s-”

“Link,” Rhett corrected.

“Link. Whatever. You’re afraid that his first impression of you will be less than the amazing guy you are. I get that, but instead of hiding in your room like a coward, why not go tell him the truth? You’re a nice guy. I’m sure he’d understand.” 

Rhett stood there for a moment staring at the floor when Adam’s phone rang, scaring both of them. He quickly took it out of his back pocket and looked to see who it was.

“Ah, there’s that little shit! Look, just think about what I said, okay? I’m sure that would look better on you than being a no-show.” Adam finished, answering his phone. “Where the hell are you, man? I need those headphones!”

________________________________

The time was 6:44 pm. Rhett had been thinking about what Adam had said to him all day and still hadn’t decided what to do. If he stayed, it would look bad on his reputation. If he went and surfed, he’d embarrass himself. If he followed Adam’s advice, there would be no guarantee that Link would understand. Did he even _want_ him to understand? He had only seen the man twice- and had only just met him- and yet just the thought of the salt-and-pepper-haired lifeguard already made him break out in a cold sweat.

There was a knock at the door, making Rhett jump ten feet into the air.

“Rhett, it’s Justin. Open up, man!” 

Rhett debated on opening the door. He was still angry, but he was curious as to what Justin’s response to the whole ordeal would be, so he opened up for his friend. Justin stood there in his swim trunks with his surfboard in his arms.

“Hey man. I uhh… wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to embarrass you like that, It’s just, I’ve been seeing you super upset recently and figured that landing something with Link would make you feel better. So… I’m sorry dude.” 

Rhett smiled at his friend, but it faltered when something clicked.

“How… How’d you know his name was Link?”

“Oh, I talked to Adam earlier and he told me about your little talk.” Rhett rolled his eyes, earning a chuckle from Justin. “You know him, dude. Why’d you talk to him when you know how he is?”

“I needed the support.” 

Justin only shrugged. “Anyways, if you’ll come back to the beach with me I’ll go talk to the lifeguard for you and call off the surfing king’ bullshit.” 

Rhett’s eyebrow hiked up. “What’s the catch?”

“Nothing. I promise. I feel awful about earlier and I just want to make it up to you.” 

Rhett thought about it for a moment. He didn’t really feel like going back to the beach, but he appreciated what Justin was trying to do. Besides, Adam was right about him not showing up looking incredibly bad on his rep… not that he cared.

“Alright, man. I’ll go. Just let me get changed.”

The walk back to the beach was peaceful. The sound of waves crashing on the shore along with the chattering that could be heard from the barefoot bars felt peaceful. On their way back, a few of the locals would wave and say “Aloha” to him and Justin. It was one of the few things that Rhett enjoyed about being here against his will.

As soon as they stepped foot on the beach, he saw him. The orange sunset made his tan glow as the wind from the waves made his loose-fitting lifeguard t-shirt flow. Rhett had to gulp down a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding before he followed Justin the rest of the way.

“Hey, Link right?” 

Link spun around to face Justin, a smile coming across his face.

“You got it.” He then looked over to Rhett, that same smile pained on his lips. “Ready to show me your moves, surfing king?” Only then was Rhett able to take his eyes off of Link long enough to notice that he had a surfboard next to him. Oh... _He_ was challenging him and his “surfing king” title. Once that clicked, he changed his mind about not surfing. He had been challenged and he’s never been one to back away from a challenge.

“Actually, I have a confession to ma-”

“Only if you’re ready to show me yours,” Rhett rebutted, interrupting Justin mid-sentence. The smirk on Link’s face only deepened as the chill in Rhett’s spine returned.

“Well, let’s go. You have a lot to prove.” Link shed his shirt and walked towards the shore with his surfboard. Rhett followed suit, but Justin stopped him before he got to the water.

“What the heck, dude? I thought you didn’t want to do this. Remember that tantrum you had earlier?” Rhett looked up to Link, his feet already in the water as he waited for Rhett to follow him.

“I know and I’m sorry, but I can take him.” Justin only smiled as he stepped aside and let Rhett by to follow Link into the ocean.


	6. Chapter 6

Rhett followed behind Link as he paddled out of the shallows. He wanted to get their little competition started as soon as possible, but they had to wait for the next wave to come, so he and Link had some time to talk… about what, Rhett wasn’t sure. But he was sure he’d find something… anything.

“So, how long have you been surfing?” Link asked, being the one to break the silence.

“Uhhmm.” Rhett stammers, “About 18 years. My best friend taught me in Malibu when we were in our twenties.” Link looked back to the shore and pointed at Justin.

“Is it him by any chance?” 

Justin took notice that he had some attention and waved with a big smile on his face. Rhett shook his head and laughed.

“Yeah, that’s him alright. He wanted a surfing buddy, so he taught me. What about you? How long you been at it?” Link didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“Since I was little. Here in Hawaii, surfing is seen as a sacred tradition and my gramma wanted me to learn as soon as I started walking, but my parents waited until I was at least four. I’ve been on the board ever since.” Rhett gulped a little. Link had been surfing longer than him and it was a part of his culture. He knew at that moment he was probably screwed, but he was still going to try and beat Link if it killed him. “Oh, here comes one. You or me first?” Link quipped, Rhett paused for a moment before answering.

“Uhh… you first, I guess.” Link nodded and began to paddle towards the waves. “Hope you like losing!” he called before he dived under the cresting wave. Rhett scoffed as he watched Link come back up and stand on his board, cutting through the water unlike Rhett had ever seen before. 

His form was so clean and clearly perfected with local tradition running through his veins. Rhett could see that he was enjoying himself, a clear smile painted on his face as his hand ran through the wall of the wave, his black lifeguard shorts stuck to his leg as the wind whipped through his dripping hair. Once he finished, Justin applauded from the shore.

“I give him an eight!” he called. Rhett gave him the finger. Justin laughed and so did Link as he paddled back to Rhett.

“What’s the matter? Scared you can’t top it?” 

Rhett scoffed again. He never imagined he’d meet anyone cockier than Justin.

“I think you’re the one who’s scared.” Rhett’s heart skipped a beat as Link tossed his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he chuckled.

“A California boy has nothing on us.” Just then, another wave began to crest over the horizon.

“We’ll see about that.” Rhett paddled out, feeling adrenaline begin to pump through his veins. He had to make this one count. 

He cleared his head of all “what-if’s” and dove underwater, feeling an instant peace. When he came back up, he stood on his board and held his breath. This was usually where he’d fail, but much to his surprise, he rode the wave flawlessly. His board sliced through the water as smooth as butter, his confidence sky-rocketing as he continued to surf like he normally did. 

Suddenly, he had an idea to try a trick he had been working on before they’d left for their summer tour. He and Justin usually stuck to the classics, but Rhett had been wanting to learn something new and had been working on this for a while. Rhett was running out of wave and didn’t have time to think, so he went for it. He crested the top of the wave and leapt into the air, spinning a 360 and landing perfectly back on the water. He wasn’t sure what it was that had made him surf like  _ that _ , but he was too elated to think about it.

“ _ Ohhhhhh! Hoho! Ohhhhh! _ ” he screamed, purposefully wiping out and coming back up to the surface.

Justin was on his feet hooping and hollering just as loud as Rhett was from his spot on the beach. “10, dude! That was amazing! The Surfing King is back, baby!” 

Rhett hopped back on his board and saw Link from the corner of his eye, clapping. 

Rhett paddled over to him with smirk similar to the one Link had given him earlier. “Well done, Surfing King. You can keep your title for now.”

“Is that another challenge?”

Link returned Rhett’s smirk. “Only if you want it to be.” Rhett chuckled, the air growing a bit thick between them, but Link looked down to the waterproof watch on his wrist and gasped. “Shoot, I gotta go. This was fun, man. Hopefully, I’ll see you around. How long are you in Hawaii for?”

Rhett hesitated with thought before responding. “For the next three or four months.”

“Cool. See ya when I see ya.” Just like that, Link made his way back to shore and took off on his bike.

Justin grabbed his own board and paddled to where Rhett watched Link leave. “Dude. That was the first time you’ve ever pulled off a fuckin’ ally-oop. That was awesome.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Rhett laughed. 

Justin smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t get too cocky, man. You up for some more?” Rhett looked out to the horizon. The waves looked pretty decent, so he decided to stay with Justin for a while. He had finally gotten his mojo back and wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”

“You should try the ally-oop again!” Rhett only shook his head.

“There’s no way I’ll ever pull that off again.”


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks later, everyone had the day off and Ronnie didn’t feel like sitting in the hotel all day. He wanted to check out the local aquarium and eat at a restaurant he’d been dying to try. That wouldn’t have been a problem, of course… if he hadn’t wanted the entire band to go with him. Jordan and Rhett were all for it, but Justin and Adam wanted to sleep in after another night of drinking. He had to fight to get them up, but eventually, everyone was going and Ronnie was pretty pleased with himself.

“I still can’t believe you drug me out of bed just to see some stupid fish,” Adam grumbled, handing his ticket to the admissions clerk.

“Oh hush,” Ronnie rebutted. “You’ll end up having fun.” Rhett was browsing through the map he was handed when a coral reef show caught his eye. He had always been fascinated with marine life and was curious as to how the aquarium kept the corals.

“Hey, I wanna see the coral reef show at three.”

Ronnie nodded. “Yeah, I wanna see that too. We’ll head down there about thirty minutes before so we can get a good spot.”

They all browsed the various exhibits for about an hour, Rhett staring in wonder and amazement at the fascinating creatures of Hawaii until it was time to head to the coral tank. Jordan, Justin, and Adam wanted to see the sharks, so it was only Ronnie and Rhett that went to the show. Though they were early, the exhibit was already packed with young kids and tourists; the room boomed with children’s laughter, screams, and cries as the parents chattered amongst themselves.

“So much for getting a good spot,” Ronnie muttered.

About five minutes before the show was scheduled to start, a woman with dark, curly hair came into the room and stood next to the large tank. Her hair appeared to be damp, but as soon as Rhett began to wonder why the girl pulled a microphone out of her pocket and turned it on, welcoming everyone to the coral tank.

“Our scuba diver’s gonna hop in here in just a few moments and begin to feed the 55 species of fish we have here in the coral exhibit.” Just as the words left her mouth, a diver dove into the tank, all the fish immediately gathering around them. Rhett watched in wonder as the diver fed the fish, swam back and forth, and performed tricks for the kids. He’d always wanted to scuba dive. When he took a closer look at the diver, Rhett saw a familiar tuft of salt-and-peppered hair. He also noticed that the diver had a very similar build to the man he had beaten in a surfing competition a couple weeks ago.

Once the show was over, the diver still in the tank posed for photos with the kids and some of the tourists. “Let’s go catch up with the others,” Ronnie said, nudging Rhett’s shoulder with his elbow as he started to leave the exhibit.

“Actually, I’m gonna stay here for a bit. I’ll catch up in a few.” Ronnie only nodded. When Rhett was alone, he walked up to the diver who had just finished posing with a couple and smiled wide when the diver froze. He hadn’t been sure if he was Link or not, but upon seeing him freeze when he walked up to the tank, he knew. Rhett smiled boldly and waved at him. Link held up one finger and pulled out a whiteboard from his back. Rhett waited patiently as he wrote his message.

Once he was finished, he held up the board that read: “Meet me in the stingray exhibit in 30.” Rhett held up his thumb. Link put the board away and made a photo gesture with his hands. He wanted a photo with Rhett.

Rhett’s hands fumbled for his phone, pulling it out of his back pocket and turning on the camera. He smiled just as he had when he first recognized the diver while Link put his hands up to the acrylic. He snapped the photo and waved at Link again. Link waved back and swam to the surface of the tank.  
__________________________

Rhett didn’t waste any time getting to the stingray exhibit. He knew that Link had said 30 minutes, but he didn’t think being early would hurt anything. He watched the stingrays swim around for about twenty minutes before he saw him. Link came out of the hall that led to the sharks, his hair still damp with a navy aquarium shirt tucked into a pair of khaki pants. He too had a microphone poking out of his pocket as he made his way over to the large tank where Rhett and a slow forming crowd was standing.

“I thought you worked at the beach.”

Link looked up from the papers he was holding in his hand and smiled. “Hey, I do, but that’s my part-time job. This is my full-time job. I’m a marine biologist here.”

Rhett’s eyes widened. “Gosh, what else do you do?”

“That’s it, as far as I know.” Link chuckled. “What about you? What’s your job?”

Rhett didn’t feel like going into details about how he was being held here against his will, so he danced around it as best he could. “It’s not as great as getting paid to swim with fish.”

Link scoffed, looking back up from the papers he had been flipping through. “There’s a bit more to it than that.”

“Doubt it.”

Link gave him that same smirk he had a few weeks ago. “I’ll deal with you later, Mr. Haole. I gotta put on a show for these kiddos first.” With that, Link took out the mic that was in his pocket and proceeded to put on the stingray exhibit show while Rhett stood there confused. What on Earth did he just call him? He sat and mulled over it until Link had finished his presentation, turning his mic off and shoving it back into his pocket.

“Alright. I can’t st-”

“What the hell does ‘ha-lay’ mean?” Rhett interrupted. Link belly-laughed at Rhett’s butchered pronunciation.

“Not ‘holay,’ ‘haole’. It’s Hawaiian for ‘foreigner.’”

Rhett blinked, not knowing what to say at his own roasting, causing Link to laugh a little harder. “Don’t laugh! I don’t speak Hawaiian!”

“That’s what makes it funny!” Link still laughed at Rhett’s dumbfounded look for a bit before gazing back down at the papers he had in his hand.

“Alright, I gotta go do another show, man. Meet me at Waikiki beach tomorrow at three?” Rhett was confused.

"Uhhh... S-Sure... Why?"

Link Chuckled. "To prove to you that there's more to my job." Rhett had been so focused on Link’s use of the Hawaiian term that he had barely been paying attention to what he agreed to, but he agreed nonetheless.

"Tomorrow at Three?"

"Tomorrow at three. South Waikiki beach right near life tower 4."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ku’uipo= Sweetheart  
> Malihini= Visitor or newcomer

The next day, Rhett left an extra half hour early to make sure that he would be able to find the place that Link had told him to be. He closed his hotel door with a click and turned to walk towards the elevator.

“Where you going, Chills?” Jordan asked, holding a half-eaten snow cone leaned up against his room’s door frame. Rhett needed to be careful with how he answered. If his bandmates caught wind of him meeting up with the lifeguard twice, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Oh, I’m headed down to the beach. There’s a-a bar I’ve been wanting to check out.” Jordan lifted his brow in confusion.

“Not like you to want a drink. Especially this early.” Shit.

“I-I’m not going to drink. I-I heard that they have some really good slushies, so... that’s what I’m going to try.” Rhett mentally prayed for his lie to work. Someone must’ve heard him because Jordan only shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright. Lemme know how they are.”

“I will, man.” Rhett spun back towards the elevator and cringed hard. He had never been so close to having his friends on his ass. Thankfully, Rhett didn’t run into any more of his bandmates on his way to South Waikiki Beach. The last thing he needed was to have his friends- Justin and Adam specifically- teasing him about Link.

He found the guard’s tower with ease, but he wasn’t sure what part of the beach Link was going to be at, so he leaned up against the tower and began to pittle around with his phone. He figured that Link would see him on his way over. He was proven correct when he looked up from his phone and saw Link walking onto the beach wearing mirrored sunglasses with a rather large duffle bag hanging off of his shoulder. Rhett wondered what on Earth he had in there, but he didn’t want to be rude and ask. He aimlessly put his phone away as Link approached him.

“Hey man. Ya ready?” Rhett was clueless as to what Link had planned for him, and that huge duffle bag made him really nervous, but he agreed anyway.

“Yup. Lead the way.” Link took Rhett a bit further down the beach than he was expecting, passing several more life towers as Rhett followed Link along the white sandy beach.

“We’re headed down to the coral reef.” Link said, breaking their silence. “The aquarium needs more samples of the corals to make sure that the ones we have in the aquarium are healthy. I figured you’d like to help me gather some.” It sounded so simple, but Rhett knew there was a catch somewhere, he just wasn’t sure  _ where _ . When they finally made it to the reef, Link sat down his duffle bag and opened it up. Inside it was several sample jars as well as some tools to help them extract the corals. Link tossed Rhett a swim mask and a snorkel which he missed, the thing falling down into the sand with a light thud.

“You’ll need that. Most of the corals we need are a bit deeper under the water,” Link mentioned, putting on his own snorkel and swim mask. Rhett still didn’t think that gathering a few samples from a coral reef would be difficult, but as soon as they were in the water he was proven wrong. The corals were a lot tougher than he first thought and he couldn’t just smash through them with a hammer. Link needed the pieces to be intact, so they had to remove 15 samples of coral from the reef with the softness of cotton. What Rhett thought would be a 30-minute task turned into two hours and he was exhausted. On their way back to the shore, Rhett slipped on a rock and cut his knee on a piece of coral, letting out a grunt of pain along with it.

“You okay?” Link asked, stopping in his tracks to spin around and look at Rhett. He didn’t even have to speak. Link already knew what had happened to him.

“Oof… Those are rough. Let’s hurry and get out of this salty water.” Rhett managed to get himself out of the sea without any further injuries.

“Still think it’s easy?” Link asked with that  _ same  _ grin on his face as he tended to Rhett’s scratched leg. Defeated, Rhett let out a loud sigh.

“Alright, you win.”

“I thought so.” They went silent for a moment while Link looked at Rhett’s leg, his wet black and silver hair stuck to the nape of his tanned neck as water dripped down his back. “This scratch looks pretty nasty, why don’t you come with me and we’ll get that fixed up for you.” Rhett laughed.

“You mean you didn’t pack a hospital in that bag?” Rhett joked as Link gathered his tools and the samples they had got.

“Shut up.” Link did, however, have a spare t-shirt in his bag that he carefully wrapped around the wound. “There. That should keep the bleeding down until we get to where we’re going.” Once Link was finally packed up, Rhett followed him once again, Link’s spare t-shirt irritating his scratch a bit as he moved. They had been walking for what felt like five minutes when they approached a neighborhood of small homes just off the coast. Link walked up the porch of the first one and knocked gently on the door. An older woman with dark skin and hair opened the door and looked like she was more than delighted to see Link.

“Oh Link, ku’uipo, it’s so good to see you!” The woman threw her little arms around Link’s body and held him tight, her eyes widening when he saw Rhett. Not knowing what to do, he waved at her and gave his best smile. The woman gasped.

“Link, is this who I think it is?” she asked, finally letting Link go to turn him to face Rhett. Rhett suddenly wondered if Link had been seeing someone due to the woman’s reaction, but he didn’t have time to ponder on it.

“No, Nan. This is my friend Rhett. Rhett, this is my grandmother.” She waved her hands at Link.

“Oh, stop with the formality, just call me Nan, malihini.” Rhett held his hand out to her, but she ignored his gesture and instead engulfed him into a strong hug that he wasn’t at all expecting from such a small woman.

“Come in, come, come! I just made your favorite, ku’uipo. I wasn’t expecting to have you over, but I was in the mood for some poke myself and had to make it.”

“Thank you, Nan. Before I eat though, I have to patch Rhett’s leg up. We were out doing some fieldwork and he nicked it on a piece of coral.” Nan’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, are you an ocean scientist too?” Rhett was going to answer, but Link stepped in.

“No, Rhett’s actually a… Ummm.” He paused, looking to Rhett. He suddenly felt nervous. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should tell the truth. Sure, he was popular and all on the internet, but so far no one seemed to recognize him except some nosy  paparazzi that Adam had to scare off. He decided last second to lie before the silence got too awkward.

“I’m a small business owner out in California. I’m on vacation here with my buddies and met Link here at the beach.” Okay, so it wasn’t a total lie.

“Oh, how wonderful. Such a good occupation to take care of our little Link.” Link’s face turned blood red.

“Nan…” he groaned. She only laughed at her grandson’s misery.

“I’m just kidding, ku’uipo.” Or so she claimed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The song Link Sings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YPoL5-3kZ4)

Link finally got away from Nan and led Rhett down the hall and into the bathroom. Rhett sat atop of the closed toilet seat and propped his leg on the bathtub, unwrapping his t-shirt to examine the scratch while Link dug through Nan’s medicine cabinet. He reached out to touch it and cringed at the pain.

“Don’t touch it!” Link exclaimed. “You’ll get it infected.” Rhett withdrew his finger as Link crouched down to Rhett’s leg.

“Man, your grandmother sure is a sight.” Link laughed.

“Yeah. She’s out there, but you can’t help but love her.”

“She’s uhhh….” Rhett paused, trying not to sound rude, but every response he could think of sounded so… bad.

“Let me guess, she looks different than me?” Rhett shook his head even though that’s exactly what he had been thinking. Nan looked native with dark skin and hair, but Link looked almost European with very fair skin. Not that it mattered, he just couldn’t help but notice it. “It’s okay.” Link chuckles. “I was adopted at birth from North Carolina by my family. They’re all native Hawaiians. I claim myself to be native as well because I was raised to be. I get teased every now and then and get called a fake, but I know who I am. Just because I have white skin doesn't mean I don’t know the traditions that they do.” Not knowing what to say, Rhett just sat there in silence and let Link direct the conversation.

“So, how long have you lived in California?”

“Well, I moved out there when I graduated high school, thinking I was gonna be this huge star, but I fell right on my butt and moved back to North Carolina when I was 22. I then went to North Carolina State and got a degree in engineering and did that gig for about 12 year- ow!”

“Sorry!” Link cringed.

“S’alright. Anyways, my buddies and I got together and started up our own business and moved back to California just a couple of years ago.” Link didn’t say anything for a moment, focusing on carefully wrapping a bandage around Rhett’s leg.

“And you’re in Hawaii for how long again?”

“About another two or three months.” Link looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s a long vacation to take away from your business…”

“We needed the break.” Link’s eyebrow remained hitched as he finished up Rhett’s leg.

“There ya go. Good as new. It isn’t deep enough to need stitches, so you should be fine.” Rhett examined his now patched-up leg.

“Nice bandage work. Anything else you can do?” Link shrugged as he put away the first aid kit.

“I can sing a bit and play the uke, but I only do it for my Nan. I’ll probably have to play one for her before she’ll let me leave.” Rhett laughed, following Link back into the kitchen. Nan was at the stove, pouring something into a bowl.

“How much poke do you want, ku’uipo?

“As much as you can give me, Nan.”

“I trust you’ll be singing me a song before you leave as well.” Link looked over to Rhett.

“Only for you, Nan. Is it alright if Rhett stays for the song?”

“Of course, ku’uipo. Would he like a bowl of poke as well?” Rhett held up his hand.

“That’s alright Na-”

“Nonsense, I insist!” Rhett looked at Link with a confused glare but shrugged and sat down at the dining table with Link. Nan soon brought over the steaming bowls along with some silverware and a can of ginger ale. Link was already digging in and chewing quite loudly when Rhett picked up his first spoonful. As soon as the spoon touched his tongue, his mouth exploded with delicious flavors and he wasn’t sure which one he wanted to focus on. Before he could decide, there was another spoonful shoveled into his mouth.

“I take it it’s good then, malihini?” Rhett nodded.

“It’s delicious. We need this back in California.” Nan laughed.

“Sounds like you need to come with Link to visit me more often.” Rhett, Link, and Nan all ate together at the table, discussing things that were different in Hawaii and about the sights that Rhett had seen so far. Once their bowls were clean, Nan put them in the sink while Link ushered Rhett back outside. The screen door shut behind them with a slap, Link sitting down on the porch swing and grabbing a worn uke that had been sitting next to the end table right by the swing. He plucked a few notes and hummed a bit, patting the seat next to him when Rhett didn’t join him. Rhett nervously sat next to Link, not sure where to put his hands. Nan then too came out on the porch with the same screen door slap, taking a seat in the wicker rocking chair in front of the porch swing and waiting patiently for Link to tune the old instrument.

“Any requests?” Nan didn’t hesitate.

“Kauanoeanuhea.” Link groans.

“I sing that every time!”

“You asked, you got. Now play.” Link shook his head with a smile and began to play, the song soon following. His voice was absolutely gorgeous and had Rhett wonderstruck. He was a mid-high tenor and all Rhett could do was sit there and wonder how Link’s lovely voice would sound with his. All too soon, the song was over and they were leaving with Link’s huge bag slung around his shoulder.

“Love you, Nan!” He called as he stepped down the steps.

“Love you too, ku’uipo. Come back and see me, Rhett!”

“Will do!” He wasn’t sure if he would ever see Nan again, so he made sure to properly say goodbye to her.

“So, where are you staying?” Rhett was taken aback by Link’s question.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, depending on what hotel you’re staying at, we could take a long way,” Link pointed to the right, “or the short way,” then pointed to the left.

“Oh, umm. Alohilani Resort.” That same smirk returned, making Rhett’s heart flutter a bit in his chest.

“Wow, fancy. Alright then, left it is.” Rhett followed him down the beach for a while before they approached the hotel. He was shocked by just how fast they’d made it there.

“That was quick.”

“I know this place like the back of my hand.” Rhett suddenly got nervous, rubbing his neck while he debated with himself whether or not to ask...

“So, I was thinking if-if you’re not too busy on Friday if you’d like to join me for a hike?” Link gave a sympathetic smile.

“Sorry, I have to work at the beach on Friday. Maybe some other time, alright?” Rhett was taken aback from Link’s rejection. He’d felt pretty sure that Link would agree, but he understood that he had to work.

“Oh, alright. Sometime next week then?” Link shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll have to wait until I get my new schedules, but if I’m free we’ll definitely go.” In the back of his mind, Rhett thought for a moment that Link might’ve been purposely pushing him aside, but Link wouldn’t do that… would he?

“Okay. Just let me know as soon as you can.”

“I will, man. See you around?”

“Yeah, see ya.”


	10. Chapter 10

They were onto him. Justin and Adam could sense that something was wrong with Rhett, but they weren’t sure what. He had sulked all weekend and still seemed upset this morning while they were getting ready for their long day of community service. Adam and Justin whispered amongst themselves, Rhett not even noticing while he put on that same ugly orange vest.

“I think it has something to do with that lifeguard he’s been talking to,” Justin hushed.

“What lifeguard?”

“He met this cute little lifeguard on the beach about a month ago and has been seeing him here and there.” Adam gasped and laughed.

“He must’ve asked him out or something and got turned down.”

“You think?”

“I think it’s possible. Maybe h-”

“Alright, what are you two whispering about?” Ronnie interrupted, scaring the shit out of both of them.

“Rhett got rejected,” Adam blurted, but Ronnie wasn’t buying it, crossing his arms and giving him an accusing eyebrow.

“Is this something you know, or something you’re assuming?”

“What? Me? Assume? Pssshhhttt!”

“Yes, you and Mr. Sneaky here.”

“I’m not sneaky,” Justin defended, but Ronnie didn’t pay him any mind.

 “Spit it, truth or assumed?” Justin and Adam shared a glance before Adam spoke up.

“It’s assumed, b-but he’s been seeing that little lifeguard he met with Justin and has been sulking all weekend a-”

“And nothing. You don’t know what’s got him upset until you talk to the poor guy. You know, he’s had a pretty rough time with all this bullshit. It could just be that bugging him again.”

"But-”

 “No buts. You two trouble makers stay here. I’ll go talk to Chills and find out what’s really going on.” Ronnie leaves the two gossipers alone and walks over to Rhett, his tall stature hindered by a slight slouch

“Hey, Rhett. You alright?” Rhett looked up from his shoes, his laces only half-tied.

“Yeah, Ron. I’m fine, why?” Ronnie shrugged.

“I dunno, you look upset. The shows getting to you again?” Rhett dropped the laces and sighed.

“No…”

“Well, what is it, then? You can tell me. You know I sure as hell won’t tell Dumb and Dumber.” Rhett laughed and propped his arms upon his knee.“Well… There’s this guy…” 

Ronnie’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, really?” 

Rhett chuckled.“Yeah, but don’t get any ideas. We’ve only hung out like, twice, and I don’t even have his phone number, so I don’t think it’s that serious.” Rhett bent back down to finish tying his laces.

“Do you want it to be?” 

Rhett froze. Did he want to be more serious with Link?

“I dunno, man. I mean, Link’s nice and everything and is cute as hell, but I still barely know the guy. He doesn’t even know about me being held here against my will.”

“He turned you down, didn’t he?” Ronnie asked, testing Adam’s assumption just for the hell of it.

“Well, not really. I mean, he did, but he said it was because he had to work… what if he’s lying?”  Ronnie chuckled. “Son of a bitch was right. I’ll be damned.” 

Rhett furrowed his eyebrows. “What? Don’t tell me that Adam and Justin have already figured it out.” Ronnie cringed.

“Sorry man, they’re on top of this like a fly on the wall.” 

Rhett put his face in his hands. “Great.”

______________

Later that morning, they were all out on the beach picking up trash as they normally did, avoiding the beachgoers as much as possible. Rhett was still sulking, not even wincing the slightest when he had to pick up his worst nemesis, the used condom. Justin felt bad for Rhett. He knew that he liked the lifeguard quite a bit, even though he hadn’t really said anything about him. He felt awful that he had most likely gotten shot down and wanted to help cheer him up, but he wasn’t sure how. 

Not a minute later, Justin saw Link, pedaling towards the guard’s tower with a red windbreaker on. Justin ran over to Rhett and started to shrug his shoulder with a knowing look.

“The hell you doing?” Rhett asked, trying to get Justin off of him.“I see someone coming.” Rhett’s eyes got as big as quarters when he spotted Link on his bike, pedaling towards the tower.

“Shit!” He turned his back to him and walked as far away from Link’s route as possible. Justin was confused. He figured Rhett would be happy to see Link, but he was acting as if he was the _last_ person he wanted to see.

“Where you going, Chills!?” Rhett spun back around to wave Justin off, but it was too late. Link, not too far away now, spotted him and was now pedaling to him instead of the tower. Justin pat himself on the back while Rhett froze right where he stood. Link was clueless about everything. The fight, him being sentenced to community service, his other buddy serving jail time, his status as a major YouTuber, everything. As far as Link knew, he was just on a longer-than-normal summer vacation with his friends who just so happened to own a small business. How was he even supposed to start? How wa-

“Hey.” 

Rhett was snapped out of his thoughts by Link stopping his bike right in front of him. He looked the gentle giant up and down with that smirk that was starting to drive him wild. “Nice vest. You guys volunteering or something?” Rhett gaped like a fish, unsure how to answer until Justin finally spoke up from behind.

“Court ordered. We have to do this shit twice a week for the next three months.” Link looked back to Rhett, that smirk still painted on his face.

“Is that so? What did you do?”

“Oh, Chills didn’t do anything. Neither he nor Jordan threw a punch, but they prosecuted them anyway. A broken system, man.” Rhett looked down to the sand, still feeling Link’s gaze on him as Justin kept spilling the entire can of beans to Link. “It wasn’t even Joe’s doing. Those assholes wrecked into our tour bus and then stormed in, screaming in his face that it was his fault. The guy was just taking up for himself, but nooo.”

“Tour bus?” 

Justin laughed. “Man, Rhett. Did you not tell the poor guy anything?” Rhett looked up from the sand to give Justin a death glare. “Oh, shit... you really didn’t tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Link asked accusingly, his knuckles turning white from gripping his handlebars.

“Dude, Chills here is like a superstar. We’re one of the top rock bands on YouTube. We were on tour when we got into that brawl and had to cancel the rest of the tour just to serve our sentences. Rhett’s our lead singer. Every time he sings he gives you chills, that’s why we call him Chills.”

“You mean to tell me all this time, that small business you talked about was an insanely popular YouTube channel where _you’re_ the lead singer?” 

Rhett didn’t answer, his eyes still glued to the white sand.

“Pretty much. We wouldn’t be here right now if we hadn’t had that incident. We finish our sentences here in a few weeks, but we’re staying until Joe’s released from prison, so that adds an extra two months to our stay.” 

Rhett heard Link scoff. “You know what? I’ll see you guys around. I gotta go to work.” With that, Rhett heard his bike pedal away and then felt Justin’s hand on his shoulder.

“That went well.” He pushed Justin’s hand away.

“I can’t believe you!”

“What did I do?”

“What did you _do_? Are you kidding me? You fuckin’ ratted me out, man! I didn’t want Link to know about any of this! About us!”  Rhett ran his hand through his hair, gripping onto his styled curls. “And now, he’s fucking pissed at me and probably won’t ever talk to me again because of you!”

“Hey, Chills. I know you’re pissed and everything, but the warden wants you to get back to work.” Ronnie said, his voice low and calming. Rhett only shook his head at Justin and grabbed his gear, starting to pick up trash again, angrier this time.

“What’d you do?” Ronnie asked Justin.

“I told Link about why we’re here and who we are.”

“Had Rhett not told him?”

“No. He said he didn’t want Link to know about it.” 

 Ronnie sighed. “Then why did you tell him?”

“How was I supposed to know!? He looked upset so I thought him talking to the lifeguard would make him feel better, but he hadn’t told him about any of this, and now the lifeguard’s pissed because Rhett lied to him. And now Rhett’s going to sulk even more.” 

 Ronnie crossed his arms. “And whose fault is that, Justin?” he sighed deeply.

 “Mine…”

 “I’m sorry, whose?”

 "Mine, okay. You can stop now.” 

 Ronnie chuckled. “You know what to do now, don’t you?” 

 Justin rubbed his eyes and sighed again. “Yeah…”


	11. Chapter 11

“C’mon, man. Open the door,” Justin pleaded, surfboard propped up against the nearby wall. It had been a few days since he’d outright exposed Rhett to Link, and Rhett wasn’t taking it too well. He had locked himself in his room and was only coming out for food and work just like he did when they’d first arrived in Honolulu. 

Justin felt really bad about what had happened and wanted to make it up to him, but every time he came to Rhett’s door, he was flat out ignored. He didn’t even get a “go away” anymore. He knocked on the door again, harder and louder this time. “Rhett!” he called, but there was still no answer. Sighing, Justin rested his forehead on the door. He really didn’t want to say what he was about to say, but he wanted his best friend back. So he swallowed his pride.

“Look, Rhett. I’m sorry, alright? I was...” Justin paused, looking around to make sure that Ronnie or Adam wasn’t around to tease him. “I was wrong. I had no idea that Link was clueless about all of this or I wouldn’t have said anything. I was only trying to help you since I knew that you liked him so much, but I only hurt your chances. I realize that now and I’m sorry.” Justin stood there for a moment and heard nothing on the other side. He sighed heavily and grabbed his board, deciding to give up for now, but he put it back when he heard the lock click.

Rhett only opened the door enough to get a good look at Justin. He couldn’t help but note that Rhett looked—not awful, but like he’d been sulking for a while. His hair and beard were a mess and he had bags under his eyes. It definitely made him feel worse.

“Rhett, I’m so sorry, man. Really, I am. I feel terrible about what happened and I wanna make it up to you. I’ll take you to that steakhouse down the road and we can go surfing afterward. We don’t even have to go to the beach Link works at. We can go further north if you want. It’d be a longer walk, but it’d be worth it.” 

Rhett looked Justin up and down and then back towards his room before speaking, his voice sounding just as rough as he looked. “Never heard you apologize like that.”

“Don’t get used to it. I just… I dunno. Don’t make me say it again.” 

Rhett actually laughed at his friend, opening the door some more to lean against the frame. “I forgive you. Honestly, I do.” Justin smiled up at him, but Rhett stopped him from getting too excited. “But I’m still really upset at you.”

“And you have every right to be. I just thought I’d offer something to show you how sorry I am.”

“And I appreciate that, but I need more time. I know it took a lot for you to admit that you were wrong, but I can’t… not yet.” 

Justin nodded. “I understand, man. Maybe next week?” 

Rhett shrugged. “We’ll see.” 

With that, Rhett shut the door and went back to laying in his bed with quiet music playing on his phone, staring out of the opened window while the world continued without him. He thought about the situation again, his heart aching when he recalled Link’s face when he’d found out Rhett had been keeping something so huge from him. He regrets that Link had to find out the way he did and wished he could explain why he had kept it secret, but what was done was done and Link would probably never speak to him again.

Rhett was napping peacefully when there was another knock on his door. He was instantly annoyed. He had just told Justin that he needed more time, and yet here he was, back again. Rhett got up from the bed and walked to the door.

“I told you I needed more time!” he exclaimed, opening the door and nearly fainting when he saw Link. He was wearing a red lifeguard’s tank top with a pair of swim trunks and flip-flops, looking just as gorgeous as Rhett remembered.

“Link…” Rhett muttered, all other words failing him. He subtly pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, but Link was still there.

“Hey. I’m sorry for bothering you, but I haven’t seen you on the beach recently and I wanted to talk.” 

Rhett came out into the hall and shut the door behind him, leaning up against it. “Listen, Link. About the other day-”

“You don’t have to say anything about that, Rhett. I was mad at first, but I mulled it over for a while and... I get it.” 

Rhett let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “It wasn’t because I didn’t want to tell you or anything like that. It’s just a complicated situation that I’m personally not very happy about.”

“You don’t like being in Hawaii?” Link asked, voice filled with confusion.

“I mean, yeah. Honolulu is a nice place with an awesome beach and all, but I’d rather be here on a vacation, not against my will.” Link looked to the floor, not knowing what to say. “Some good has come out of it, though. I’ve tried some amazing dishes, rode some incredible waves, spent most of my time on the beach. But there’s one thing that’s really made this entire ordeal worth it.”

“And what would that be?”

“I got to meet you.” 

Link’s cheeks turned bright pink, making Rhett’s heart flutter in his chest. He couldn’t believe that he had been brave enough to actually admit it out loud to him. They both stood there for a moment, blushing like a couple of middle schoolers until Rhett spoke again.

“Again, I’m really sorry for keeping this from you.”

“Really, it’s okay Rhett. I gotta work at the aquarium, but I get off at eight. Wanna go surfing later?” 

Rhett nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

“Alright. I’ll see you on the beach at eight… ‘Chills’.” Link winked and walked away, Rhett watching closely as he disappeared down the hall and into the elevators. Suddenly, he heard a whistle come from the door behind him.

“That was hot.” 

Rhett blushed with both embarrassment and anger. “Adam!”


	12. Chapter 12

It was around 1 PM when Rhett and his buddies finished with their community service for the day. He had planned on grabbing lunch from his favorite place down the street with Jordan, but when he saw Link and another guard sitting at the tower, his plans changed.

“Hey, Jordan I’ll catch up with you later. I’m gonna talk to Link real quick.” Jordan nodded as he handed his vest back over to the warren.

“Alright, but I’m hungry dude. I’m not waiting for long.”

“I won’t take forever.” Rhett walked over to the tower and knocked on the metal pole, a habit he’s developed over the past week. Link looked over the railing and smiled down at him.

“Hey, Rhett. Give me just a second.” Link got up from his chair and grabbed two bottles of water from the cooler. “I’ll be back, David.” David nods and winks at Link, but Link only shakes his head as he climbs down the latter to where Rhett was standing.

“What’s up, man?” He asks, handing one of the bottles over to Rhett.

“Nothing. I just got off and came by to see what the Ocean Man is up to.” Link arched his brow.

“The Ocean Man?” Really?” He laughs, taking a drink of his own water.

“Well, think about it. You save people from the ocean and have a degree so you can swim with the fish. Kinda sounds like an ocean man to me.” Link shook his head again.

“I thought I already proved to you that there was more to it than that.” Rhett chuckled.

“Yeah, but I still like to mess with you.”

“I noticed. What about you? How much longer of community service do you have?

“Only another week or two. Poor Joe still likes two more months in prison, though.”

“At least that gives us more time,” Rhett smirked at thought of being around Link for another two months. He wasn’t quite sure where this was going, but he was excited to find out.

“So, when do you have a day off?” Rhett asked, changing the topic of the conversation.

“Tomorrow, actually. Why?” Rhett fiddled with the top cap of his water bottle.

“Well, I was going to ask if you weren’t busy if you’d like to join me and guys for a day at the waterpark tomorrow. It’s fine if you don’t want to, I just thought I’d at least ask.”

“I’d love to.” Rhett almost choked on his water. They had been surfing together many times over the past week, but he had yet to spend time with Link away from his jobs. He didn’t even expect Link to have the day off let alone agree to go.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, it sounds like fun. What time are you going?”

“We’re not sure yet, but probably sometime in the late morning. We can meet somewhere around nine or so and I can let you know.” Link’s nose scrunched. He didn’t like the idea of waking up his usual time on his day off.

“Hold on a sec. I have a better idea.” Link climbed up to the tower and came back down a moment later with a scrap piece of paper in his hand. “Here’s my cell number. You can text me whenever you guys leave and I’ll meet you there..” Rhett’s breathing stopped as he took the piece of paper from him, but he played it off.

“Uhh- If you want, you can carpool with us. We rented a van for the drive to the park, so there’s plenty of room if you’d like to join us.” Link thought for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah, okay. That’ll save me some gas-” Link trailed off and looked over Rhett’s shoulder. Rhett spun around to see what he was looking at. It was Jordan walking over to them.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you said you wouldn’t be long, man. I’m starving.”

“Sorry Jordan, we’re almost done here.”

“It’s alright, Rhett. You go ahead and have lunch with your friend. I have to get back to work anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Rhett smiled at him and nodded.

“Okay.” With that Link smiled back at him and climbed back up the tower.

“What’s that?” Jordan asked as they were walking away, pointing to the piece of scrap paper in Rhett’s hand.

“Nothing.” Jordan gave him an odd look.

“Come on, you can tell me. You know I’m not going to run and tell Ronnie or dumb and dumber.” Rhett looked over his shoulder to make sure he was far enough from the tower.

“It’s Link’s number. He’s coming to the waterpark with us tomorrow and he gave me his number to let him know when we’re coming to pick him up.” Jordan gasped.

“Okay, let me get this straight. You not only got his number but finally got him to say yes to something besides a surf date?”

“They’re not dates, man. And yes, he’ll be carpooling with us tomorrow.”

“That’s great! I’m excited that you finally get a proper date with him. Just make sure you keep the vultures at bay. You know they’re going to embarrass the shit outta you, right?” Rhett sighed, holding the door open for Jordan as they walked into the restaurant.

“Yeah. I expected that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that afternoon, Rhett texted Link to confirm his phone number, but Link didn’t text back until the next morning.

“Hey man. Sorry it took me so long to respond. Work was killer and I passed out as soon as I got home. Anyway, you have a time on the waterpark yet?” Rhett smiled at the text, halting on packing his bag to reply.

“That’s alright. The Ocean Man’s gotta ocean. We’re leaving around noon so be ready by then and send me your address so we can pick you up.” Link must’ve been waiting for a reply because he replied quickly.

“Okay, I will after I eat breakfast. I’ll see you in a few hours, Chills.” Rhett didn’t respond after that. It was around 11:30 when Link got around to sending his address. By that time, Rhett and his bandmates were loading everything into the van while Adam and Justin we’re still raving about Link going with them.

“I still can’t believe you got him to say yes, dude. You guys are moving right along.” Rhett rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Will you two just try not to make him uncomfortable?”

“Yeah, yeah. We got your back, man.” Replied Adam as he lifted up their cooler into the back of the van. Rhett didn’t believe them not even for a second. Once everything was loaded, they all hopped in the van and took off towards Link’s house. He only lived about half a mile from the beach, so it didn’t take long to get there. Ronnie honked the horn and Rhett texted him that they were there, but Link came out after the second honk. He locked his door and walked over to the van with that same duffle bag he had that day they collected coral samples slung over his shoulder. Rhett jumped out of the van and took his bag, putting it in the back for him.

“Thanks.” Link muttered.

They both climbed into the van and buckled their seatbelts. Justin and Adam had worked out the seating arrangements so Link had no choice but to sit next to Rhett, but they were also sitting right behind them so they could see every move they made.

“You guys ready?” Ronnie asked.

“Yeah, you’re good man.” With that, Ronnie pulled the car back onto the road. Both Adam and Justin looked at them at the same time and then looked at each other with almost evil smirks. It was going to be a long ride to the park.


	13. Chapter 13

The drive to the waterpark was about 40 minutes and Rhett felt every single second of it. He knew what he had been in for when he had asked Link to carpool with them, but he didn’t expect Justin and Adam to be so  _ insufferable _ . Ronnie had asked Link a basic question about Hawaii and Adam had twisted it into a topic about boyfriends in less than five sentences.

“Speaking of relationships, Link, is there anyone special in your life?” Rhett quietly face-palmed.

“Oh, uhh no. Not at the moment. There was this guy that my Mom wanted me to date and it got my Nan all excited, but I stopped that train before it even pulled out of the station.” Adam hummed.

“Not your type?” Justin added.

“Something like that.”

“What is your type, then?”

“Adam!” Rhett scolded. He also earned a look from Ronnie in the rearview.

“Sorry… gosh.” When they finally made it to the waterpark, Rhett was first out of the van. He loved Adam and Justin but felt like he could choke them at times. He went to the back of the van and grabbed his and Link’s stuff.

“What’s eating him?” Justin asked as he hopped out of the van after Link.

“Probably you two embarrassing him,” Ronnie commented, handing them their bags. They each shared a look before shrugging and getting out of the van.

“You don’t have to carry that for me, Rhett.” Link said, following Rhett towards the front gate.

“I got it. It’s not as heavy as last time.” He joked.

“Harr harr.” Once they were in the park, Rhett started to head towards the changing rooms.

“Don’t you think we should wait for your friends?” Link asked, pointing his thumb towards the gate.

“Nah. We’ll catch up with them later.” Link looked back and shrugged. After they changed, they began putting their stuff into their rented lockers when Jordan rounded the corner.

“Justin’s upset you didn’t wait for him.” He commented, unlocking his own locker.

“He’ll get over it. I’ll find him later and ride some slides with him to make it up to him.”

“You’d better. I don’t wanna hear him complain all day.”

“Hear who complain?” Justin asked, coming around that same corner.

“You, dumbnut,” Rhett said, shutting his locker.

“I won’t complain. I’ll just gently protest until you ride a slide with me.”

“That’s complaining,” Jordan added.

“I will after lunch, okay. I’d rather just relax and get some sun until then.” Justin groaned.

“Fine. I’ll see you then.” Link was fishing out his towel when Rhett faced him.

“You ready?” Link shut his locker.

“‘Ae, let’s go.” Rhett and Link headed out towards the slides wasted no time, stopping at literally the first slide they saw called Island Racer. They rode it several times before they left for the next one right next door called Raging River. They climbed the tower and waited in line for only 15 minutes for their turn. It was when Rhett saw the boat that he noticed that he would be sitting pretty close to Link. Because he was the larger of the two, he sat in the back of the boat and his heart skipped an entire beat when Link sat down in front of him, chest to back. Their hands brushed against each other when Link grabbed the wrong handles, which he apologized for. It felt foreign but yet so familiar at the same time. He also couldn’t help but notice how well Link fit just right on him and how his tanned skin glowed in the Hawaiian sun. The ride was over before Rhett could even process that the ride had begun.

“Wanna go again?” Link asked, turning back to look at Rhett. He smiled at him, Link’s black and silver hair sticking to his forehead. Of course, he did.

~~~~~~~~

Rhett and Link were inseparable the entire day. They did everything from riding slides to eating lunch to even lounging in the chairs. Rhett did split off for a bit to surf with Justin, but he was right back next to Link riding their favorite slides over and over again. When the sun finally began to dip into the horizon, they decided that it was time to go. While Link was fishing for his things, his keys fell to the concrete with a light thud when one of his keychains flew off and rolled down the pathway.

“Shit!” Link dropped everything and went after it, catching it before it rolled too far away. “Oh, Mahalo Akua.” He muttered, walking back over to Rhett.

“What is that?” He asked. Link opened his hands and showed it to him.

“It’s my most prized possession. My sister made it for me by hand before she passed a few years back.” Link looked over the well-loved charm, the wood-carved perfectly into the shape of a sea turtle.

“It’s beautiful, Link.”

“Isn’t it? She was so talented with her hands.” Link stuck the charm back into his large bag and finished gathering their things. When they made it back to the van, Rhett noticed that Justin and Adam had changed seats from the very back to the middle of the van. Ronnie nudged Rhett’s shoulder and winked at him, his nose sunburnt. Rhett mouthed “thank you” to him before climbing in, Link following suit.

The ride back was surprisingly quiet, the van’s engine humming quietly while Rhett looked over Link who was currently looking out the window with his hair all messed up. A sight to behold. Rhett then looked down at Link’s hand that was resting perfectly right next to him. He swallowed thickly, wanting so badly to grab ahold of it without worrying about Justin or Adam. Finally, he decided to go for it, reaching over and pulling his smaller hand into his. Link jumped, looking down at his hand and then back up to Rhett. He suddenly got nervous again.

“Is-is this okay?” Rhett whispered, intertwining their fingers. Link smiled and nodded gently, returning the grip in Rhett’s hand. They held hands quiet the entire ride back, Link falling asleep with his head against the window. When Ronnie stopped at Link’s house, Justin and Adam remained fast asleep as Rhett helped him carry his stuff up to his front door.

“I had a great time today, Rhett. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Anytime, man. I’m sorry about Adam and Justin. They’re good guys, they’re just… blunt.” Link laughed.

“I noticed. I guess I’ll text you later. I have to work the morning shift at the aquarium tomorrow so it’ll probably be tomorrow evening before I can get to.”

“That’s fine. I guess I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow then.”

“Alright.” Rhett handed Link’s bag over to him and looked at him, his blue eyes reflecting the starry sky like two giant mirrors. Link returned the gaze, staring at Rhett’s eyes as well. Rhett licked his lips and his breath quickened. He wanted so badly to kiss him right then and there. Link apparently had the same idea when he started to lean in a little closer, testing the waters a bit. Rhett took the bait and leaned in closer as well, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight with anticipation as they both etched forward. Their noses brushed against each other, making Link gasp a bit before Rhett finally went for it, gently grabbing Link’s shoulder’s a bringing his lips to his. They were soft, warm, and inviting, their lips making a soft pecking sound when Rhett pulled apart. Link wasn’t finished, however, and brought Rhett’s lips back for another quick kiss. They pulled apart a second time, Link bringing his hands up to run his fingers through Rhett’s beard before chuckling lightly and pulling his keys out of his bag to unlock his front door. Rhett practically floated back to the van, receiving a huge thumbs up from Ronnie.

"Guess you're his type, Rhett." Ronnie joked when Rhett hopped back into the van, but Rhett was too far gone on cloud nine to even care.


	14. Chapter 14

A week passed before he spoke to Link again. He wasn’t sure why, but Link was seemingly ignoring him. He had waited two days before giving in and texting him himself, but he never replied. To say Rhett was worried was an understatement. He paced his hotel room for hours and turned down Justin’s surfing invites left and right trying to dissect the situation. Had Link not liked the kiss? Was he being too forward? But Link was the one who began to lean in. Was he a bad kisser? This had been Rhett’s routine for the week, but on the 7th day of complete radio silence, he was determined to figure out why.

He knew that Link always worked the morning shift at the aquarium on Tuesdays and knew that he got his lunch four hours after he clocked in. So, Rhett had gotten up bright and early that morning, grabbed Link’s favorite meal from the local restaurant just down the road, and headed towards the aquarium. He normally would be on the beach picking up trash around this time, but their community service sentences were finally completed and now he had two more months to enjoy Hawaii before heading back to Los Angeles.

Rhett has hung out with Link so much at the aquarium that the staff now knows him by name. They used to charge him a ticket just to see one of Link’s shows or talk to him in between his normal routines, but the manager over the place grew fond of Rhett and now lets him in free of charge.

“Hi, Rhett. Here to see Link?” Rhett smiled and held up the brown paper bag in his hand.

“Yeah. I brought his lunch today. Where’s he at right now?”

“He’s in the freshwater exhibit. He just finished a dive show.” Rhett thanked the woman who’s name he couldn’t remember at the moment and rushed for the freshwater tanks. He was so eager to see Link that he barley remembered the walk towards the freshwater exhibit. All he remembered was seeing him standing by the catfish tank and suddenly becoming overwhelmed with nervousness. Did Link even want to see him? He didn’t have time to second guess himself, however, because Link had spotted him and was walking over to him. He was smiling from ear to ear and his cheeks were as red as the aquarium polo he was wearing.

“Hey, Rhett. It’s so good to see you again. That for me?” He asked, gesturing towards the brown paper bag in Rhett’s hands.

“Uhh, yeah. Figured I’d come to bring you lunch and talk to you for a bit. I-I got kinda worried when you didn’t text me.” Link nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I forgot that I had my phone on me when I went out to do some fieldwork the day after our waterpark trip and the saltwater killed it. So much for waterproof phones, huh?” Rhett was instantly relieved.

“So… y-you didn’t mind our little…?” Link blushed even deeper, taking a bite out of the sandwich Rhett had gotten him.

“Not at all. I was hoping to see you again before my new phone got here so I could tell you that I had an amazing time with you. I haven’t had that much fun in years and our kiss was just the icing on the cake.” Rhett smiled back at him.

“Well, I’m glad.” Rhett sat with him for his entire lunch hour, talking as they normally would, but with their hands carefully interlaced. Something that Link had initiated. When it was time for Link to head back, he threw away his trash and looked back up at Rhett.

“I’m doing a show in the manta ray exhibit next if you want to watch me.” Rhett nodded.

“Of course. I love watching the Ocean Man do his job.” Rhett stated with a wink. Link laughed and stood up on his tiptoes, taking Rhett by surprise as he placed a kiss on his cheek.

“What? You can do it to me, but I can’t do it to you?” Rhett rubbed his cheek and blushed red.

“N-no! Feel free to. It just caught me off guard is all.” Link brought his hands up and caressed Rhett’s cheek the same exact way he did the night after the waterpark.

“I like you a lot, Rhett. More than I’ve liked anyone in years. If it’s okay with you… I’d like to give us a try.”

“Y-you mean like… as a-”

“I want you to be my boyfriend.” Link stated bluntly. “I wanna be able to kiss you whenever I want, go on surfing dates with you and sing to Nan together. That is, only if you’d want to.” Rhett didn’t even give it a second thought. He liked Link a lot too and wouldn’t mind not even for a second to call him his.

“Of course I want to.” Link giggled and jumped into Rhett’s arms, hugging him tightly. Rhett squeezed him back, pouring every ounce of emotion he was feeling into their hug. They pulled away only far enough to kiss one another, Link throwing his arms around Rhett’s neck. They kissed until Link’s timer went off, telling him it was officially time to clock back in.

“Damn it.” Link muttered, pulling his lips off Rhett’s.

“Go on, now. The Ocean Man’s gotta ocean.” Link giggled again.

“See you at Sal’s at 6 for dinner?” Rhett nodded.

“Sounds like a date.”


End file.
